“May his spirit lead us to 11 June 2010. May his soul rest in peace and may Siphiwo’s spirit of hope centre us all,” he added.

The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says Ntshebe was relatively unknown in South Africa – his appearance at the World Cup opening ceremony would have introduced him to a much wider audience in his home country.

Ntshebe, who studied at London’s Royal College of Music between 2004 and 2007, had performed throughout Europe.

Mr Mandela had previously praised the tenor as “a young South African with so much talent that has, despite challenges of the past, chosen to work hard at a better future”.